Quick questions on Hitler's foreign policy and expansion explained: N(A)-Level History

Hitler had clear aims in foreign policy, all flowing from his extreme nationalism and his anger at the Treaty of Versailles. First, he wanted to destroy the treaty, which he saw as a humiliation. Second, he wanted to unite all German-speaking peoples into one greater Germany, even those living in other countries. Third, he wanted to gain "living space" for Germany, mainly by expanding eastward into other lands.

Hitler's first major step was to rebuild Germany's armed forces, known as rearmament, even though the Treaty of Versailles strictly forbade this. He built up the army, created an air force, and expanded the navy. Rearmament was popular in Germany because it brought jobs and restored national pride. But it was also dangerous, because it gave Germany the military strength it would need to fight a war and showed that Hitler was willing to break the treaty openly.

Hitler's next step was to send German troops into the Rhineland, the part of Germany next to France that the treaty had ordered to be kept free of soldiers. This was a gamble, because the German army was still small and could have been forced to retreat if France and Britain had acted. But they did nothing. The success of this move made Hitler more confident, taught him that the other powers would not stand up to him, and encouraged him to take bigger risks.